Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, also referred to as machine-type communications (MTC), is a type of communication that is anticipated to expand, potentially rapidly, in the near future. With MTC, machines may locally communicate directly with one another and, as such, may be employed for various applications including for smart homes, smart metering, fleet management, remote healthcare, access network operation management, etc.
In one MTC topology, an MTC gateway is provided that is configured to communicate with a network, such as a cellular network. The MTC gateway may also support a capillary network that includes one or more other MTC devices, also known as capillary network devices, that are configured communicate with the MTC gateway, but need not necessarily be configured to communicate with the network. The capillary network devices may be embodied in a number of different forms including, for example, an actuator, a display, a memory device or the like.
In order to reduce the signaling load upon the network, it may be desirable in some instances to reduce the amount of regular network signaling that is conducted with an MTC gateway or other capillary network device. Therefore, an MTC device, such as MTC gateway or another capillary network device, may be taken offline so as to be in an offline state or offline mode. In an offline mode, the MTC device is not in a typical idle mode, but is in a more detached mode in which the conventional location update signaling and conventional paging are not performed. However, in the offline mode, an MTC device may listen for trigger indications via, for example, a broadcast or paging channel during at least certain periods of time. In this regard, an MTC device may be configured to wake up in accordance with a predefined schedule in order to listen for and respond to trigger indications. By placing the MTC device in an offline mode in an instance in which the MTC device is not actively engaged in communications, however, the quantity of conventional signaling is reduced, thereby conserving network resources.
A triggering indication may disadvantageously require that a bidirectional connection be established between the MTC device, such as an MTC gateway, and the source of the triggering indication, such as an MTC server. In this regard, a bidirectional connection may be required in order to conduct the handshaking that may be required in order to authenticate the triggering indication. Unfortunately, the establishment of a bidirectional connection and the signaling conducted via the bidirectional connection may disadvantageously increase the network signaling.
Additionally, the addressing of the MTC gateways and the capillary network devices is hierarchical in that the addressing of an MTC gateway is separate and different than that of a capillary network device. While an MTC server may communicate, via a network such as a cellular network, with an MTC gateway, the MTC server may not generally communicate directly with a capillary node device. Instead, a message intended for the capillary network device is generally directed to the MTC gateway that supports the capillary network within which the capillary network device operates. The body of the message received by the MTC gateway may identify the capillary network device and may include the actual message that is intended for delivery to the capillary network device.
In some instances, however, the MTC devices may change roles such that a capillary network device may begin to serve as an MTC gateway, an MTC gateway may begin to serve as a capillary network device or, still further, either a capillary network device or an MTC gateway may begin to function as both a capillary network device and an MTC gateway. Because a network, such as a cellular network, is configured to specifically direct communications to an MTC gateway, but to not directly communicate with the other capillary network devices and further since the addressing associated with MTC gateways and the capillary network devices is different from one another, the network, such as a broadcast center, and/or the MTC server must be advised in an instance in which the MTC devices change roles to insure that subsequent communications are properly addressed and properly directed to a current MTC gateway. For example, the MTC server and a broadcast center may need to be informed of the change in roles of the MTC devices so that the network may thereafter properly address and construct messages intended for the MTC devices that are presently serving as MTC gateways. This updating and reconfiguration of an MTC server, a broadcast center or other network entity may disadvantageously increase the network signaling as well as the processing that is required of the network.